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Diary: see no evil, hear no evil. It works for Boris Johnson Diary: see no evil, hear no evil. It works for Boris Johnson
(2 months later)
• It has taken more than a year but finally light has been shed on one of the murkier aspects of Boris Johnson's re-election as mayor of London. Before the election he was able to speak to the people via the mayoral Twitter and Facebook accounts. But in the runup to the ballot, official accounts underwent a metamorphosis – from Mayor of London on Twitter to Back Boris. Some mistake, surely. So complaints were lodged by Labour, and after an investigation Boris has escaped unscathed. But it all remains unclear. The investigating officer didn't like what he saw but could not blame the mayor because, for all the bureaucracy at City Hall, "It has not been possible to obtain evidence to show who operated the Facebook and the Twitter accounts at the time of the complaints." The Facebook page linked to Johnson's campaign page, "but there is no evidence to indicate that Mr Johnson was either personally responsible for the misuse or that he authorised others to do so". What did he know, and when did he know it? That's not clear either, because while he confirmed by email that he did not operate the account, he was apparently not quizzed as to whether he authorised it. The adjudicator says: "This direct question should have been put to Mr Johnson during the investigation." But it wasn't. So there he is, home free.• It has taken more than a year but finally light has been shed on one of the murkier aspects of Boris Johnson's re-election as mayor of London. Before the election he was able to speak to the people via the mayoral Twitter and Facebook accounts. But in the runup to the ballot, official accounts underwent a metamorphosis – from Mayor of London on Twitter to Back Boris. Some mistake, surely. So complaints were lodged by Labour, and after an investigation Boris has escaped unscathed. But it all remains unclear. The investigating officer didn't like what he saw but could not blame the mayor because, for all the bureaucracy at City Hall, "It has not been possible to obtain evidence to show who operated the Facebook and the Twitter accounts at the time of the complaints." The Facebook page linked to Johnson's campaign page, "but there is no evidence to indicate that Mr Johnson was either personally responsible for the misuse or that he authorised others to do so". What did he know, and when did he know it? That's not clear either, because while he confirmed by email that he did not operate the account, he was apparently not quizzed as to whether he authorised it. The adjudicator says: "This direct question should have been put to Mr Johnson during the investigation." But it wasn't. So there he is, home free.
• Last week's musings about who might benefit from Ed Miliband's decision to choose Labour's mayoral candidate in 2016 through a US-style primary contest – opening it up to all-comers – yield a ticking off from the writer and transport specialist Christian Wolmar. "You omitted to mention me as the only declared candidate who has been campaigning since last September," he says. "I have already spoken at more than 20 Labour party meetings across the capital." With the Thames crossing cable car needing an £8m EU bailout, the Boris bus a travelling sauna, and each of the celebrated Boris Bikes apparently costing the taxpayer £4,000, would a transport know-it-all mayor be such a bad thing?• Last week's musings about who might benefit from Ed Miliband's decision to choose Labour's mayoral candidate in 2016 through a US-style primary contest – opening it up to all-comers – yield a ticking off from the writer and transport specialist Christian Wolmar. "You omitted to mention me as the only declared candidate who has been campaigning since last September," he says. "I have already spoken at more than 20 Labour party meetings across the capital." With the Thames crossing cable car needing an £8m EU bailout, the Boris bus a travelling sauna, and each of the celebrated Boris Bikes apparently costing the taxpayer £4,000, would a transport know-it-all mayor be such a bad thing?
• Yet more brickbats, meanwhile, for the Blond's one-time mentor – the Tory strategist and commercial lobbyist Lynton Crosby – as cynical types question the government decision to delay the introduction of plain cigarette packaging. He had no role in that decision, insist ministers. But the perception will always cause a problem on days like this. As will Solomon Hughes' revelation – highlighted here last Friday – that nine MPs took tickets from Japan Tobacco International for the Chelsea Flower Show and Glyndebourne. And then, of course, there is Ken Clarke, minister without portfolio and for 10 years until 2008 a board man at British American Tobacco. No shortage of people well placed to see the tobacco industry's side of things.• Yet more brickbats, meanwhile, for the Blond's one-time mentor – the Tory strategist and commercial lobbyist Lynton Crosby – as cynical types question the government decision to delay the introduction of plain cigarette packaging. He had no role in that decision, insist ministers. But the perception will always cause a problem on days like this. As will Solomon Hughes' revelation – highlighted here last Friday – that nine MPs took tickets from Japan Tobacco International for the Chelsea Flower Show and Glyndebourne. And then, of course, there is Ken Clarke, minister without portfolio and for 10 years until 2008 a board man at British American Tobacco. No shortage of people well placed to see the tobacco industry's side of things.
• A weekend gathering of the young ones who defined a generation. Revolutionistas from the London School of Economics class of 1968 met in the sparkling new Sheikh Zayed lecture theatre, one of many that exist thanks to £20m of donations fromgrateful and rich alumni worldwide. Each lecture theatre is named after a benefactor, save for that next to the shindig: the Alumni theatre. Could this have been previously earmarked as the Saif Gaddafi lecture theatre?• A weekend gathering of the young ones who defined a generation. Revolutionistas from the London School of Economics class of 1968 met in the sparkling new Sheikh Zayed lecture theatre, one of many that exist thanks to £20m of donations fromgrateful and rich alumni worldwide. Each lecture theatre is named after a benefactor, save for that next to the shindig: the Alumni theatre. Could this have been previously earmarked as the Saif Gaddafi lecture theatre?
• To the south coast, where we are reminded of one of the truths of politics by councillor Adam Carew, of Whitehall town council in Hampshire. In May 2013 he stood for leadership of the Lib Dem group and, understanding that there must be winners and losers, he wrote to colleagues. "This is a democratic process. And members are expected to support their winning colleagues. I hope that those that lose don't take it to heart but try again another day." He lost, and on 9 July defected to the Tories.• To the south coast, where we are reminded of one of the truths of politics by councillor Adam Carew, of Whitehall town council in Hampshire. In May 2013 he stood for leadership of the Lib Dem group and, understanding that there must be winners and losers, he wrote to colleagues. "This is a democratic process. And members are expected to support their winning colleagues. I hope that those that lose don't take it to heart but try again another day." He lost, and on 9 July defected to the Tories.
• As representatives of Pippa Middleton get shirty about a spoof book, a quite separate apology in the Northern Echo: "BIRTH MIX-UP: An article about a scarecrow festival in Appleton Wiske, near Northallerton, on 2 July, incorrectly stated that a scarecrow celebrating the royal birth won first place in the group category. The winner in that category was an entry titled Call The Midwife. We would like to apologise for any embarrassment caused."• As representatives of Pippa Middleton get shirty about a spoof book, a quite separate apology in the Northern Echo: "BIRTH MIX-UP: An article about a scarecrow festival in Appleton Wiske, near Northallerton, on 2 July, incorrectly stated that a scarecrow celebrating the royal birth won first place in the group category. The winner in that category was an entry titled Call The Midwife. We would like to apologise for any embarrassment caused."
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